A FLOATING sculpture to be created by internationally renowned artist Alex Chinneck for the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal has been granted planning permission. The ambitious new commission will be installed on the Tinsley Flight, close to Tinsley Marina, later this year and is the first time the artist has embarked on a floating artwork.
Sculpted into a loop-de-loop from rolled steel, the impressive full-sized narrowboat artwork will incorporate signwriting and traditional canal boat colours, celebrating the history of Tinsley, Sheffield’s historic waterways and the city’s industrial heritage. Co-funded by British Land and energy company E.ON, who committed to creating a public artwork as part of its redevelopment of the Blackburn Meadows site, the artwork is welcomed by the Canal & River Trust. Sean McGinley, Yorkshire & North East regional director, said: “At a time when keeping our amazing canals alive for future generations to enjoy is more important than ever, Alex’s remarkable floating sculpture will help to bring new interest and focus to the canal and add to the existing art trail, developed during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of Sheffield & Tinsley Canal in 2019.”
A city shaped by its historic waterways, the canal is popular with boaters, paddlers, walkers and cyclists. The design and location of the artwork have been carefully considered to retain usual boating navigation while developing the canal as a visitor destination. Positioned between Locks 4 and 5 of Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, the waterway will serve as a gallery space for the sculpture, enabling the loop-de-loop work to be viewed from 180 degrees, either from on the water or from the canal and also protecting the navigation channel.
The planning application for the artwork was submitted by the artist on behalf of the Tinsley Art Project Board, which includes Sheffield City Council, E.ON, British Land, Tinsley Forum, Canal & River Trust and Yorkshire Water. Alex said: “We’re as excited as ever to deliver our third artwork for Tinsley. This is a positive step in an ambitious direction.” He has been working in the area for seven years and has created multiple artworks in Tinsley during that time, including a sculpture of a car hanging upside down, creating the illusion that was visited by more than 5000 people over five days. In 2019, Alex returned to Tinsley with a new sculpture – a knotted post box, which was temporarily installed on a residential street outside Tinsley Meadows Primary Academy.
